New article: Humvee Doors Can Trap Troops

[3Hummer]

http://news.aol.com/partners/usa-tod...00010000000001

"Humvee Doors Can Trap Troops
By Tom Vanden Brook
USA Today
(May 7) -- The Army is fixing the doors of every armored Humvee in combat in Iraq because they can jam shut during an attack and trap soldiers inside, Pentagon records and interviews show.



David Furst, AFP / Getty Images
A U.S. soldier stands next to his Humvee on March 19 after it was damaged by a bomb in Iraq. The Army is fixing the doors of every armored Humvee in Iraq because they can trap soldiers inside.

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The door trouble, the latest in a series of problems with the Humvees since the Iraq war began, is an unintended consequence of the Pentagon's effort to add armor to protect troops from makeshift bombs. Improvised explosive devices are the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Iraq, causing 70% of injuries and deaths. Armored Humvees, the main troop-transport vehicle, are often targeted by insurgents who plant bombs on roads.

One quick fix to the jamming problem was to weld D-shaped hooks to Humvee doors so another truck could rip them off with a cable. The hook is built into the latest version of armor added to the Humvee, known as the Frag Kit 5, said Lt. Col. William Wiggins, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon. "Every Humvee outside (a fortified base) will have a hook," Wiggins said. There are about 18,000 Humvees in Iraq.

The Army plans to spend $284 million this year on armor kits, which also include improved latches and hinges for the heavier doors. The money was in the Iraq spending bill President Bush vetoed last week because it contained a troop-withdrawal timeline.

"The Humvee wasn't designed to withstand the kind of blasts our soldiers are getting hit with in Iraq," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. "This is just another reason why we need to get as many of the new MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles as possible into the field, as soon as possible"

The MRAP vehicle has a V-shaped hull and a raised chassis that better disperses the force of a blast. Biden recently won approval of a $1.5 billion amendment to the military spending bill to buy more MRAP vehicles.


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When armor from the new kits is added, a Humvee door can weigh at least 600 pounds, said Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., of the House Armed Services Committee. The Humvee has run its course as a useful vehicle, he said. "It wasn't designed for urban warfare."

The Marines have been fixing their Humvees in Anbar province as well, Maj. Jeff Pool, a spokesman based in Fallujah. They intend to replace all its Humvees with MRAP vehicles, while the Army plans to continue using some Humvees. Adm. William Fallon, in written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, called "rapid fielding" of MRAPs a priority. Fallon heads U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan .

Tom Buckner, an owner of IbisTek, a small military contractor, said the Humvee door problem became apparent early in 2006. The company produces a device know as the Rat Claw, which grips the Humvee door, while cables attached to another truck rip it off. The military has bought about 1,500 of the $400 devices.

Copyright 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved"


I'd like to know how exactly these doors are getting stuck. Like in what way. Anyone have an idea?

[DennisAJC]

Repost!

http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/s...d=1#post391044

[3Hummer]

I searched and could not find this as a repost and your link goes directly back to this thread!

[dеiтайожни]

Originally Posted by DennisAJC

Repost!

http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/s...d=1#post391044

It's a never ending loop!!

[3Hummer]

my bad that was my mistake it didnt sow up first time i hit submit so i guess when i hit refresh it went twice

[Agriv8r]

still interesting reading...

[DennisAJC]

Originally Posted by 3Hummer

my bad that was my mistake it didnt sow up first time i hit submit so i guess when i hit refresh it went twice

Just teasing.

Good article though. Any vehicle in those conditions can be a potential deathtrap. They need to develop a door that will collapse outward via maybe using the explosive bolts technology.

[DennisAJC]

Originally Posted by dеiтайожни

It's a never ending loop!!

HAHAHA!!!

[dеiтайожни]

Originally Posted by DennisAJC

HAHAHA!!!

Oh, real funny. Someone please link me out of here.

[DennisAJC]

Originally Posted by dеiтайожни

Oh, real funny. Someone please link me out of here.

OK. This'll take you to Woodshed.

http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/f...splay.php?f=24

[f5fstop]

They could go back to WWII, Korea or Vietnam era vehicles that had NO doors.

[DRTYFN]

Originally Posted by DennisAJC

Repost!

http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/s...d=1#post391044

[DRTYFN]

Originally Posted by 3Hummer

I searched and could not find this as a repost and your link goes directly back to this thread!

[3Hummer]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

They could go back to WWII, Korea or Vietnam era vehicles that had NO doors.

The issue with that is, these doors are getting stuck when tey get blasted, beucase htey take the impact so if you have no doors sure you can get out of it, but then youll take the full blast, and what good is a vehicle you can get out of when your dead?

[Scouts Out]

The biggest problem was when they first started with the up armor is the doors would fly off during teh explosion, so they strengthened teh hinges and locks, now they get stuck so you have to find the one door that opens before teh HUMMER burns

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by 3Hummer

The issue with that is, these doors are getting stuck when tey get blasted, beucase htey take the impact so if you have no doors sure you can get out of it, but then youll take the full blast, and what good is a vehicle you can get out of when your dead?

Being a bit sarcastic that is all. It seems no matter what we do to the HumVee, it will never be 100% able to guarantee full protection to the troops. I would love for that to happen, I'm the last person who wants to see an American get killed; especially fighting for a rag head. I'm just wondering how far we can go before we realize in a war, we cannot protect everyone 100% of the time. I wish we could, but we can't.